davidson



F. B. DAVIDSON. PARTITION MEMBER FOR com/amass.

APPLICATION FiLED SEPT. 1. 1916.

11,307,621. Patented June 24,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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UNITE sTATEs rA NT oEEIoE FRANK B. DAVIDSON, or MARSEILLES, ILLINOIS,AssIeNoE To HOWE AND DAVIDSON COMPANY, or MAEsEILLEs, ILLINoIs, ACORPORATION OFNEW JEnsEY.

PARTITION MEMBER roia' CONTAINERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

4 Patented J une 24, 19 19.

Application filed September 7, 1916. Serial No. 118,793.

To all whom it may concern) Be'it known that I, FRANK B. DAVIDSON, acitizen of the United States, residing at Marseilles, in the county ofLa Salle and State of Illinois, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Partition Members for Containers, of which the followingis a specification. r

This invention relates to improvements in partition members orseparators of that kind ordinarily employedin the packing of goods of afragile character,in containers, cartons, and shipping cases, and morein particular to the manner in which the several parts, comprising apartition member or separator, are formed and assembled to provide thecompleted structure. U 7

Partition members or separators of the character referred to arecommonly constructed of sheet material such as cardboard, fiber-board,or the like, and consist of a plurality of strips, arranged in parallelrows, which intersect each other at right angles and are connectedtogether by means of interlocking notches formed in themargins of thestrips at the several points of intersection, thereby forming arectangular, crate-like structure, having a plurality of smallerrectangular compartments or units, in which one or more of the articlesor goods are placed.

In the manufacture of devices of this character, the locking notches areordinarily cut from the material of the strips by means of suitablecutting machinery, said notches material or trim, as it is called, toprovide the marginal slots of the desired widthi Because of the narrowwidth of the trim to be removed, considerable difliculty is experiencedin the cutting operation, for the reason that the trim has notsufficient body to permitits being severed from the material ofthe-strip in a clean and uniform manner. Furthermore, the trim ismanifestly difficult of removal from the narrow form of notch, onaccount of the close proximity of the margins and the rectangular shapethereof, with the result that the trim tends to adhere or remain lodgedwithin the notch, thus necessitating the expenditure of considerabletime and labor in properly freemg the notches of the trim after the samehas been cut. The difliculties experienced in the cutting operation aregreatly increased when a number of strips are operated onsimultaneously, as is the common practice in the manufacture of thesedevices. 'Man1- festly, therefore, while the narrow form of slot ornotch is desirable to produce a stable crate layer structure, thedifficulty in forming the slots has led to the substitution, for thenarrow slot with parallel edges, of a different form or shape of slot,namely, a substantially V-Shaped notch. From the standpoint ofmanufacture, the V-shaped notch is much superior to the narrow form ofnotch, for the reason that notches thus formed are considerably greaterin width, hence can be cut with greater ease and in a clean andworkmanlike manner. Furthern'iorc, the shape and increased width andsize of the trim permits the same to be removed with little difiiculty,inasmuch as the trim is more accessible, and the tendency to becomelodged in the notch is practically eliminated.

A V-shaped notch, however,'is obviously not, in'itself, calculated toprovide a rigidly constructed crate structure, for the reason that sucha slot is incapable of contacting with or bearing against both sides orsurfaces of a strip inserted therein, so as to strip, the other edge orcut, 12, bein the manufacture of the member or separator embodying myinvention, the same comprises a plurallty .of

strips or crate members, which are formed from sheetmater al such ascardor fiberboard, as -before stated. These strlps are preferably of thesame Widtlnalthough they may vary in length, dependingon the size orparticular shape ofthe partition member desired. The method of forming.the looking notches is quite the same for all the strips, therefore adescription of one strip 111 this regard will suiiicefor all.Considering, therefore, eitherof theloyvermost strips of Fig. 2, thesameare provided along one of their longitudinalmargins, namely,the uppermargin, with a. plurality of notches 10 preferably spaced apart,throughout the length of the strips, .in equidistantrelation. Thesenotches are substantially Vshaped, although, to .describe their shapemore exactly, they consist of or are formed by means of cuts or edges 11and 12 inclined at angles .to each other, one of the edges,11,.extending perpendicular or at right angles to the upper longitudinalmargin of the strip and inwardly from saidmargin a distancesubstantially equal to one-half the width ofthe inclined at an angle ofapproximately tiirty degrees (30) to the perpendicular edge 11 andjoining the inner endof the same, to

form a sharp point orapex of the notch. In

addition-to theedges already described, each notch is preferablyprovided with a short inclined edge 13 at the entrance thereof andadjacent to the outer end of the perpendicular edge 11,-said short. edgebeinginclined at approximately an angle of thirty degrees (309) to theperpendicularedge 11 and in the opposite direction from the inclinededge 12. The presence of this-short inclined edge eliminates the sharporright-angled corner that would otherwise be present at one side of theentrance of the notch, thereby facilitating the entrance of a striptherein.

Referring now to the notches of each strip,-it is tobe pointed out thatall of the notches formed along the same margin of a strip bear the samerelation to one another,

that is, the severaledges 11, 12, and '13 of all ofthe notches areparallel with each other and etherwise Qscupy ce respon ms positions.The pertinency of this observation will be appreciated in connectionwith What follows.

Although all of the strips may be said to be similar, as regards theirformation, it is preferred, for the sake ofclearness of description, todivide the several strips into two or more series, each embracing aplurality of parallel strips arrangedtransversely or at right angles tothe other series (or tier immediately above or below, as they are shownin Fig. 2). Series A, therefore, comprises two strips 14 and 15, spacedapart in parallel relation and in upright position, the same beingidentical in formatlon but reversed as regardsthe relative position ofthenotches 10 ofeach strip; thatis to say, the position of .a notch10.of one stri is in the reverse position of the corresponc ing notch 0fthe other strip, thus theperpendicularedges 11, .11, as well as theinclined edges 12, 12 of corresponding notches, are located on oppositesides of a transverse plane passing through the apeX Qf'each notch. Thisrelationship ordispositlon of the strips is accompllshed by merelyreversing two identically formed strips longitudinally.

Y Thesecond series ortier .B, as illustrated,

consists of four strips arranged in parallel and spaced-apart relationand identical in formation, butdiifering from the strips of series A inthe following particular. These strips are provided along both of theirlongitudinal margins with notches 16 and 17 spaced apart at equaldistances, the notches 16being located alongthe lower margin andadjacent the ends of the strip, and the notches17 located along theupper margin and intermediate the notches 16, 16. As regards therelative positions of the notches, it is to be noted that theperpendicular edges 18 and inclined edges 19 of all the notches are oncorresponding sides, but that the inthe alternately arranged pairs ofstrips 20 and 21, it is to be noted that the corresponding notches 16and 17 of each strip are in transverse alinement, but that they arealternately reversed, that is, the perpendicular and inclined edges 18and 19-of the notches 16 and 17 respectively, are alternately disposedon opposite sides of a transverse plane passing t 11011gl1 the apex ofea h of the lined notches. 'lhis relationship as 'clined edges 19 of thenotches 16 and 17 are 1 10 ists or is followed throughout eachgroup orset of transversely alined notches, and is accomplished by merelyreversing longitudinally each alternate strip '20 and 21, said stripsbeing otherwise identical in form.

Series C comprises two identically formed,

parallel strips 22 and 23 having the same formation as the strips'lt and15 of series A, althoughso arranged that the notches 2 1 thereof arelocated along the lower margin of the Strips and face downwardly. 'Ihese strips are also arranged so that the corresponding or transverselyalined notches are disposed in reversed relation, in the same manner asdescribed in connection with said strips 14 and 15, namely, theperpendicular edges 25 and inclined edges 26 are located on oppositesides of a vertical plane passing through the apex of each notch.

With the several strips formed and arranged as hereinbefore described,the manner in which the same are assembled to form the completedpartition member will be understood from the following. Referring toFig. 2, let it be assumed that the strips 1 1 and 15 of series A arefirst supported in the positions shown, and that the strips 20 and 21 ofseries B are allowed to drop'or be moved downwardly, following thedotted lines. In this manner, the notches 16, 16 at the end of thestrips 20, 21 will enter and engage the notches 10, 10, the stripscoming to rest with the upper and lower margins thereof lying insubstantially the same horizontal planes, as shown in Fig. 1.Considering now more in detail the nature of the locking engagementbetween the strips of series A and a single strip 20 of series B (forinstance, the

left-hand strip 20 in Figs. 1 and 2), it will be noted that theperpendicular edges 11 of the notches 10, 10 of strips 14: and 15contact with the strip 20- at the opposite ends thereof, and likewise onopposite sides or faces of the strip, thus providing lateral support onboth sides of said strip 20, serving to maintain the same in a verticaland upright position. With a single strip 20 of series B in position,'itis clear that the strips 1 1 and- 15 of series A are not stable,inasmuch as the V-shape of the notches permits the latter to tilt to theleft, or toward the inclined edges of the notches 16 of the strip 20.But upon the addition of the next strip 21, a rigid structure is formed,for the reason that the perpendicular edges 18 of the notches 16 thereofcontact with the opposite surface of the strips 14 and 15 from that incontact with the perpendicular edgesl8 of the strip 20, hence the strips14 and 15 are now restrained from tilting toward the left or inclinededge of notch 16 of strip 20, and thus are held in upright position. Andso, upon the addition of the other strips 20 and 21,

the strips 14. and 15 are further supported by perpendicular edges onopposite sides therestructure. The addition of the strips 22 and 23 ofseries C, however, makes an even more rigid structure, as Wlll presentlybe seen.

Now assuming that the strips 22 and 23 are lowered along the dottedlines of Fig. 2 until they engage the strips of series B, that is, untilthe notches 24E of said strips 22 and 23 enter and are engaged bycorresponding notches 17 of the strips 20 and 21. By the addition ofstrips 22 and 23 two distinct re sults are forthcoming. In the firstplace, the

notches 24 0f the strips 22 and 23 being re-.

versed, the perpendicular edges of each two corresponding notches willengage opposite sides of each strip 20 and 21, thus serving to maintainsaid strips 20 and 21 in parallel and upright position; In the secondplace, the strips 20 and 21 perform a reciprocal function with respectto the strips 22 and 23, in that the transversely alined notches 17, 17being alternately reversed, with respect to the disposition of theperpendicular edges thereof, the said strips 22 and 23 are supported andmaintained in upright position and incapable of lateral or tiltingmovement.

Considering, generally, the relation which exists between the strips 14and 15 of series A and strips 22 and 23 of series C, it is to be notedthat these several parallel strips when assembled are not only-arrangedin parallel relation, but that the corresponding transversely alinednotches of said strips are disposed in alternately reversed relation,thereby positioning a perpendicular edge alternately on opposite sidesof each strip of s..- ries B, in exactly the same manner that thenotches of series B are alternately reversed to support each strip ofseries A and C, as hereinbefore described.

To summarize briefly, what appears to be the paramount result,accomplished by the structure and arrangement of the several strips asherein described, isthe production of a crate or separator made entirelyof strips having V-shaped notches, which interlock at the points ofintersection, and each and every strip supported in uprightposition byat least two perpendicular edges of the notches in contact therewiththroughout struction of crate are primarily associated with themanufacture and production of such devlces, and more particularly with amethod of cuttingor'forming the strips or units of a complete cratewhereby a material reduction in the cost of production is obtained Thisresult is secured, first, by utilizing a form of notch which is farsuperior and more practical, from the standpoint of manufacture, to theordinary narrow, parallel edged form of notch, and, secondly, byemploying a method of assembling the strips so that the apparentunstability and lack of rigidity, that would seem to follow from the useof the V-shaped notch, is. successfully avoided. It follows, therefore,that the crate embodying the features of the invention takes to itselfall the advantages of stability and rigidity that must necessarilyaccompany the use of narrow form of notch, at the same time eliminatingthe disadvantages which accompany the cutting or forming-of said narrowform of notch.

Obviously the simplest form of crate that can be constructed, embodyingthe arrangement of the strips, and notches as herein described, is onecomprising two transversely arrangedseries of at least two strips each.This simple form of crate can clearly be elaborated, by multiplying thenumber of series or. the number ofstrips in Veachseries, withoutdeparting from the principle herein disclosed. For this reason it is notintended to limit the scope of'the invention tothe particular form ofdevice llGI'Gll'l described and illustrated, exceptin sofar asexpressly, limited by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A partition member for containers, embracing '-a set of two fiatpartition strips having V-shaped notches opening through one of thelongitudinal edges of said strips, a second. set of two flat partitionstrips extending between the strips of said first set and having V-shaped notches opening through one, of the longitudinal edges of saidstrips and adapted to have interlocking engagement with the notches inthe strips of said first set, each notch in each strip having one edgeperpendicular to the edge of the strip through which: said notch opens,and

one strip of each set being arranged in a position reverse to the otherstrip of the same set so that the perpendicular edges of the notches ofthe strips in each set face in Copies of this. patent may be obtainedfor transverse to the strips of saidfirst set, and

a thirdset of fiat partition strips arranged transverse tothe strips ofsaid second set, each of said strips'having V-shapednotches openingthrough oneof the longitudinal edges thereof and adapted toflhaveinterlocking engagement with the notches of the strips arrangedtransverse to said strips, each notch having one edge perpendicular tothe edge of the strip through which said notch opens, and one strip ofeach set being arranged in a position reverse to another strip of thesame set so that the perpcndicular edges of the notches. of said stripsface in opposite directions and engage the strips arranged transversethereto on opposite sides thereof.

3. A partition member for containers, embracing a set of partitionstrips having V- shaped notches opening upward through the. upperlongitudinal edges of said strips, asecond set of partition stripsarranged transverse to the strips of said first set and having V-shapednotches opening downward through the lower longitudinal edges of saidstrips and adapted to have interlocking engagement with the notches ofthe strips of said first set; the strips of said second set havingadditional V-shaped notches opening upward through the upperlongitudinal edges of said strips, a third set of strips arrangedtransverse to the strips of said second set and having V-shaped notchesopening downward through the lower longitudinal edges of said strips andadapted to have interlocking engagement with the upwardly openingnotches in the strips of said second set, each notch in each striphaving onejedgc arranged perpendicular to the edge of the strip throughwhich the notch opens, and at least one strip of each set being arrangedin a positionreverse tothat of another strip in the same set so that theperpendicular-edges five cents each, by addressingthe fiommissioner oflatents. Washington, 1 G3. V

